On March 24, at 11:00 AM, Governor Bentley signed HB176 into law. This legislation allows breweries and brewpubs in the state to sell up to 288 ounces per person per day for off-premise consumption. It also removes unusual location restrictions for brewpub licensees in Alabama and allows for charitable contributions to nonprofit events. The law will take effect on June 1, 2016 Our member breweries are extremely pleased with the bill. Many are reporting that they are busy updating their [...]

On March 15, the Alabama legislature gave final passage to HB176, sending it to Governor Bentley for his signature. This legislation allows breweries and brewpubs in the state to sell up to 288 ounces per person per day for off-premise consumption. It also removes unusual location restrictions for brewpub licensees in Alabama and allows for charitable contributions to nonprofit events. We are extremely happy that this legislation was passed and look forward to the Governor signing it into law. Unless something [...]

Senate Bill 211 was introduced today by Senator Bill Holtzclaw (R-Madison) and includes 10 cosponsors. It was assigned to the Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee. House Bill 176 was also introduced today by Representative Anthony Daniels (R-Huntsville) and includes 46 cosponsors. It was assigned to the House Economic Development and Tourism Committee. These bills are identical and follow the recommendations of the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Study Commission. The major changes include: Allowing brewpubs and breweries to sell up to 288 ounces [...]

Who are the Badlun Brothers? In the fall of 1819, just before Alabama was admitted to the Union as the 22nd state, James and William Badlun established the state's first commercial brewery on their ten acres of land just west of downtown Huntsville.((The Alabama Republican, September 11, 1819.))((The Alabama Republican, August 19, 1820.)) They advertised: Porter, Ale, and Beer, of a quality inferior to none, by the barrel or smaller quantity The Badlun Brothers predated the lager revolution of the mid-nineteenth century. This was a British-style [...]

The joint legislative Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Study Commission on Tuesday approved their recommendations for the 2016 legislative session. The commission was formed to study Alabama's laws related to the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages to determine if they are competitive, congruent, and consistent with laws across the United States. As it relates to the craft brewing industry, the commission made three recommendations: Allowed licensed brewers and brewpubs producing fewer than 60,000 barrels of beer annually to directly sell up [...]

6 of Alabama's 7 members of Congress cosponsor the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act of 2015 As of December 18, the federal Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act of 2015 (H.R. 2903) has 156 cosponsors in the United States House of Representatives. This legislation is strongly supported by the Brewers Association as well as the Beer Institute and the National Beer Wholesalers Association. Six of those cosponsors are from Alabama, including Representatives Bradley Byrne (R-AL-01), Martha Roby (R-AL-02), [...]

The next state with "responsible and progressive" laws that the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Study Commission will visit is Colorado. The Brewers Association currently ranks them as the #1 state for per-capita economic impact from craft beer, so we are happy with the selection. They must be doing something right. Colorado's Brewery Laws Although we primarily focused on North Carolina as a model state when developing our Proposal Document for the commission, we also considered Colorado's brewery laws. Direct Sales in Colorado On- [...]

The Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Study Commission will soon be visiting North Carolina as a state that has "responsible and progressive" laws related to the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages. We are very pleased that this state was selected as it is perhaps the best state in the south for a friendly craft beer environment. [pullquote]North Carolina legislators and regulators have struck the right balance in providing an opportunity for incubator breweries to grow while, at the same time, recognizing [...]

When the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Study Commission was formed under Act 2015-144, the stated goal was to "determine if Alabama's alcoholic beverage laws related to the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages are congruent, competitive, and consistent" with laws across the United States. So what is congruent, competitive, and consistent in the United States? We commissioned a comprehensive, state-by-state survey of the beer laws across the United States as part of our Proposal Document for the commission. Some analysis [...]

Dallas-based Deep Ellum Brewery has filed a federal lawsuit against the Texas ABC claiming that the state's alcohol laws unconstitutionally discriminate against certain alcohol manufacturers. Matthew McLaughlin gives a good summary, but the gist is that while brewpubs, distilleries, and wineries in Texas have the ability to sell alcohol direct-to-consumers, other alcohol manufacturers such as Deep Ellum do not have that privilege. This is similar to the situation in Alabama, so it has piqued our interest. Does the Texas lawsuit have strong merit? [...]